10 year old well

I have a ten year old well 240' deep with a Franklin submersible pump. It has a Well Rite 140 OLC pressure tank and a Square D pressure switch. 250' to house, 125' of 1' then 125' of 3/4". It averages 8 GPM; pressure gauge reads 30lb when pump is on. Pressure has always fluctuated with poor pressure at the house.

Pump will run out of water if you run it for more than 30 minutes. Water is undrinkable, leaves buildup on all faucets, shower heads, toilets etc. Hot water heater, washer and dishwasher average 3 years before replacement.

I now have the budget to upgrade the system but, not the budget to pay to have it done. I plan to install a 550 gallon holding tank and reduce the flow to the tank in hopes of not running the well out of water. Then install a jet pump to increase the house pressure and hopefully stop the fluctuating pressures. I have spoken to two plumbing suppliers and have two different ideas on how to set it up.

I made a drawing of the last guy's idea but I'm not sure if I got everything laid out the way he explained it to me or if all the accessories are correct and in the right places.

A couple things I'm not sure of:
He said I would need an UP float valve and a DOWN float valve?
I'm assuming the pressure switch at the submersible pump controls it. What turns on the Jet Pump or is there a certain type of jet pump required?
Would one of the Constant Pressure Valves help my situation?

Probably a 10 GPM, 1/2 HP sub will do. However, you can have as large a pump as you need. The pump can be sized to the peak demand of the house.

Do a Google search for CSV1W, CSV1Z, Pside-kick, Cycle Sensor. You can find some good pricing on the Net.

We use the Cycle Sensor instead of a safty float switch at the bottom of the tank. The Cycle Sensor looks at low amps and knows when the tank is empty, instead of using a float switch, but either will work.

We also use the Cycle Sensor to protect the well pump from dry running.

Float switch is a regular sump pump type float switch, very common.

Contact me at the site below if there is anything I can help with.
Cary

I have a ten year old well 240' deep with a Franklin submersible pump. It has a Well Rite 140 OLC pressure tank and a Square D pressure switch. 250' to house, 125' of 1' then 125' of 3/4". It averages 8 GPM; pressure gauge reads 30lb when pump is on. Pressure has always fluctuated with poor pressure at the house.Pump will run out of water if you run it for more than 30 minutes.

Water is undrinkable, leaves buildup on all faucets, shower heads, toilets etc. Hot water heater, washer and dishwasher average 3 years before replacement.I now have the budget to upgrade the system but, not the budget to pay to have it done. I plan to install a 550 gallon holding tank and reduce the flow to the tank in hopes of not running the well out of water. Then install a jet pump to increase the house pressure and hopefully stop the fluctuating pressures.

Click to expand...

You probably have a pump with a Franklin motor because up until jus ta couple years ago, Franklin didn't make pumps, just motors.

Your 125' of 3/4 " pipe is a big restrictive problem. That need to go to 1".

It sounds as if you are running out of water in the well. You may be able to drop the pump lower in the well to solve the problem. If so you may need a larger pump. So you need to know how deep the pump is and the hp and gpm of the pump you have.

A cistern (atmospheric storage tank ) usually causes water quality problems and the need to clean and sanitize the tank from time to time. That can be something once done, you'll never want to do it again. So the tank has to allow you (or skinny her!) to get in it to clean and sanitize it.

So in most cases you will need water treatment equipment based on the water quality as it leaves this tank. In most cases, depending on how much of what is in the water, you should not treat the water as it goes into the tank.

You control the well pump with a float switch or float valve using the pump's present pressure tank and switch or just a float switch.

If a float switch is used for the well pump, you can use the present pressure switch and tank for the jet pump (or a 1/2 hp 10-13 gpm submersible pump in the tank, a much better choice) needed to repressurize for the house.

Of course you need 1-2 float switches to control the jet or sub pump for the house too so you don't pump this tank dry and ruin the pump.

I would not go with a cistern unless there was absolutely no other choice. They can be a real PITA, and they can get worse over time.

So get water tests for iron, hardness, pH and Coliform bacteria at least before you do anything.

I prefer 240V because the amperage is lower. Two wire or three wire is fine. If you notice in the drawing there is a relay that is controlled by the float switch, and it cuts the power wires to the motor. If it is a three wire motor, it just cuts the two power wires to the control box.

The Cycle Stop Valve is the only dependable Constant Pressure Valve. Donâ€™t be fooled into trying an imitation.